LOCAL FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services' P-EBT program, which aims to help North Carolinians combat food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic, will provide families across the state with additional food benefits.

For the past five years, the Town of Chapel Hill has worked with the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina to distribute food to families in the Town's public housing facilities.
However, as the pandemic has caused food demand to increase significantly, the traditional walk-up distribution didn't seem safe anymore, said Public Housing Director Faith Brodie.
To continue to serve the local community through the pandemic, the Town and the Food Bank have collaborated with PORCH, a hunger relief organization in the Chapel Hill and Carrboro area that is familiar with large-scale distribution and volunteer recruitment.

Kipos Greek Taverna's owners have closed their Franklin Street location, but plan to reopen in a new Chapel Hill location. The decision was a “direct result” of having to temporarily close due to the COVID-19 pandemic, said owner Giorgios Bakatsias. Other Chapel Hill restaurants are facing more uncertainty — making it unclear how many will be able to reopen after the pandemic.

Takeout Central, a food delivery service owned by a UNC graduate, has partnered with the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle to deliver weekly groceries to people struggling with food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, local restaurants are closing their doors. However, many will continue to serve takeout and utilize a curbside pickup system, with the help of the Town of Chapel Hill allowing free street parking during this time.

Savor is a gluten-free, diabetic-friendly and keto-friendly bakery and eatery. Co-owner Stephanie Sherman received her master’s degree in epidemiology and public health, and she said it's important to provide healthy and enjoyable food options for people with food restrictions.

After the shooting of three local university students in 2015, Shadi Sadi stepped up to honor their legacy of diligent dedication to the community through an annual Food Drive for the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina.

“We get hotter hots, colder colds, wetter wets and dryer drys,” farmer Ken Dawson said.
Climate change is more than just a looming threat for local farmers. Severe flooding events are becoming more common, and unpredictable weather patterns have thrown off traditional growing seasons, forcing farmers to change what and when they’re harvesting.

The Living Kitchen's Chapel Hill location has closed for the second time. The restaurant began with a Charlotte location and then expanded to a space in Raleigh, which has now also closed. However, the restaurant has plans to make another comeback.

“Family history surrounds me on Cottage Lane — a street I have known all my life,” Swan said in a press release. “We are proud of the lineage of our recipes; our homestead; the quality of the ingredients used in our products and the bold flavors we continue to preserve."

David Yu, owner of Gourtmet Kingdom, and Kevin Wang, owner of Jade Palace, share their experiences of working in the restaurant industry as Chinese immigrants. They remember what it felt like to work when they first moved here, and they also recall the ongoing tension between balancing authenticity in the cuisine they provide to customers.
Wang said he knew his choices were limited as a first-generation immigrant.
“What else can I do? What else can we do?” he said. “People like me don’t have enough certificates of education. We can only work in Chinese restaurants. But it’s not bad, someone will have to do these jobs.”

“We just did it because our business on Franklin Street is super high volume and we just know how rough that can be on a staff, and I think the majority of people have never worked in a restaurant and it’s just some of the hardest work you can do.”

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